Liverpool forward Diogo Jota strikes FC Porto deal
Liverpool forward Diogo Jota has struck a deal with FC Porto - a club he used to play for in Portugal. Jota spent on year on loan there in 2016/17.
FC Porto have announced a deal directly with Diogo Jota. Now, we know how that sounds but this isn't a transfer.
It is, quite literally, a deal directly with Jota over his Luna eSports team. Porto are combining with Luna, who themselves are a combination of two former eSports teams, to compete together in eSPorts.
Luna play across EAFC, DOTA 2 and Rocket League, starting out as Diogo Jota eSPorts and Galaxy Racer. A 'fusion' (their words) between the two lead to Luna, who are now linking up with Porto.
"FC Porto already has a rich and successful history in eSports and we believe that this partnership we have now established will allow us to grow even more, cement our position nationally and internationally in an area in permanent development and, of course, help us fight for more victories and win more titles," said Porto, per Record.
"The eSports market is very important in the expansion of our brand with a very specific audience, but where many of our fans are.
"And, finally, it's always good when we can combine the interests of FC Porto with someone as special as Diogo, who already had a connection as a former athlete to this club."
"It's a pride to join Luna Galaxy to a club with the history of FC Porto, which I had the honour of representing as an athlete," said Jota.
"It is the right step for this project because we joined a club that is world famous for its will to win and this ambition is something that is also present in us since the day we started this adventure."
Diogo Jota strikes FC Porto deal
Jota is well-known for his eSports, of course. He's actually an elite EAFC player as well as an actual footballer and moving into the world of eSports was natural for him.
And now he's moving to grow his brand. Jota spent a season with Porto in 2016/17, on loan from Atletico Madrid. He was relatively successful there before heading to Wolves at the end of that campaign.
Jota would eventually join Wolves permanently, before making the move to Liverpool in 2020.
Now he's found a way to link-up with Porto once again.